Darkness and Ice
is the twenty-second episode of the Nurarihyon no Mago anime. Summary The Nura House’s sakura tree’s blossoms blow off in the wind and the lanterns light up as Rikuo and his new Hyakki Yakō start to leave for their final, presumably long battle against the Shikoku Yōkai. As the Hyakki Yakō leaves, some of the members make role calls on their special tasks during the battle. Aotabō first plans to act as a decoy to agitate their enemies. Yuki Onna will be in charge of guarding Rikuo while Zen, joining the Hyakki Yakō, offers his aid for those wounded in battle. Gozumaru and Mezumaru stand in front of Rikuo and the Hyakki Yakō to declare their own special duties to be fulfilled. Rikuo spots a hazy moon and predicts a long night. He tells his Hyakki Yakō to entrust their lives with him so long as the moon is up. The Hyakki Yakō strongly obliges. As Gozumaru tells Mezumaru to catch up, Yura detects their presence from a house, but finds nothing. From inside, Kana calls her to see what’s happening outside. Yura claims nothing and comes back inside to enjoy Kana’s hot bath. She recalls having not been to a bath house for awhile, to which Kana realizes her rough life as an Onmyōji. Yura claims that she’s still in training. She asks Kana why she hung out with such a suspicious person. Kana recalls his familiar scent compared with a person she knew (referring to Rikuo’s secret Yōkai form). As she turns the shower on, she recalls the person she knew as being scary, but safe to be with. Turning it off again, she then compares him to Tamazuki, whom she thinks is very creepy by contrast and someone she doesn’t want to think about. She then steps into the bath and expresses her appreciation for Yura coming over to her house and spending the night. Yura then approaches Kana with suspicion and asks her if the Yōkai she was referring to was the same one who saved them earlier. Kana is quiet as Yura figures her confirmation. Yura decides to step out of the bathtub, feeling dizzy. Meanwhile, arriving at the Shikoku Yōkai's gathering in a parkette, Mezumaru complains to Gozumaru of what they are about to do. He then calls the Shikoku Yōkai over for food the two have offered for them, during which his and Gozumaru's faces are revealed. As the two face the Shikoku Yōkai, Mezumaru's horse skull is seen removed, revealing his girl-like face, while Gozumaru is seen wearing a hood over his head and a bear mask over his face. Mezumaru struggles to smile and expresses his disgust to Gozumaru for being disguised as a girl. Gozumaru argues that he is disguised too, but Mezumaru points that he only has a face mask and a hood on. As a few Shikoku Yōkai approach Mezumaru, one asks him if Tamazuki hired him to bring provisions and calls him cute. Gozumaru praises Tamazuki for bringing all the Yōkai together. The Yōkai then brag of Tamazuki's obtained Legacy of the Conqueror, the Maō's Hammer, which would supposedly ensure their victory. Suddenly, the Yōkai notice the Nura Clan Yōkai coming and leave to prepare for their arrival. Before leaving, one of the Yōkai asks Mezumaru to pour him a cup of sake upon their victory celebrations. Gozumaru proceeds to ask Mezumaru what the Maō's Hammer is. Realizing it to be Tamazuki's source of power, he plots to steal it from him to impress the main house. Before he and Mezumaru do anything, they notice Tamazuki, Inugami and Kagibari Onna walking up to them. In front of him, two of the Yōkai seen speaking with Gozumaru and Mezumaru earlier fall onto the ground. Tamazuki, already knowing of Gozumaru and Mezumaru's hostile presence, expresses his annoyance of the talkative and shows Gozumaru and Mezumaru his Maō's Hammer, which has the expression "Summon the Devil" engraved on it. He then proceeds to slash the two with it. Finally, Rikuo's Hyakki Yakō faces the Shikoku Yōkai between a row of lanterns, revealed actually to be street lights among the haze of Yōkai aura. Standing on top of the cinema behind the group of Shikoku Yōkai and casting a large shadow, Tamazuki welcomes Rikuo and proceeds to taunt him. A wave of leaves comes out of his hand and covers his entire body. The leaves blow off to reveal Tamazuki in a transformed state with long white hair and a mask over his face. From below, the crowd of Shikoku Yōkai cheer upon spectating his true appearance. Aotabō realizes this too and Tamazuki leaps onto the ground. His underlings move out of the way as he proclaims his promise to take away Rikuo's life and Osore. Rikuo taunts him for barking like a Tanuki. A lone, overexcited Shikoku Yōkai proceeds to lunge at Rikuo. Kubinashi plans to restrain him, but Rikuo tells him not to interfere. Suddenly, the Yōkai trembles with fear and backs off into his own group again. Inugami grabs him and throws him aside. Tamazuki proclaims the start of their battle, and the Shikoku Yōkai and Hyakki Yakō Yōkai start to lunge at each other. But before doing so, Kubinashi spots Rikuo walking out on his own towards the Shikoku Yōkai. Yuki Onna starts to run up to Rikuo as he advances alone. Two Shikoku Yōkai proceed to lunge at Rikuo as Tamazuki comments on Rikuo's awkward strategy. Inugami becomes overexcited and claims Rikuo for himself. As Tamazuki tells him to bring Rikuo's head back, Inugami rips his head off and sends it flying. Tamazuki comments on Inugami only acting as a decoy and claims the battle will end quickly. Aotabō commands the Hyakki Yakō to go, and everyone starts their assault on the Shikoku Yōkai. Slaying Yōkai around herself with a staff, Yuki Onna tries to make her way to Rikuo. A small group of Shikoku Yōkai plan on launching a pincer attack from behind the Nura Clan Yōkai, but confront Shōei sitting in their way. He merely glares at the group of Yōkai, to which they back off slightly. Suddenly, Kurotabō slays the group with his Dance of the Black Weapons move. With the Shikoku Yōkai out of his way, he approaches Shōei and sarcastically comments on his usefulness sitting out from the battle. Kejōrō assaults a few Shikoku Yōkai with her Midaregami, Asobi Onna no Mai move. Kagibari Onna proceeds to confront her and the two agree to continuing their fight against each other. Kagibari Onna first unleashes her Needle Hell attack, to which Kejōrō leaps to avoid her assault and taunts her. Elsewhere, Gangi Kozō chases after Kappa as he leaps around the battle site. Yuki Onna is still looking for Rikuo when she is confronted by Tearai Oni. Aotabō offers to fight him, leaving Yuki Onna able to continue looking for Rikuo. Inugami's head flies around to take down many Yōkai as he continues his search for Rikuo as well. Tamazuki has lost Rikuo too. A Shikoku Yōkai claims someone may have already seen him. Suddenly, Tamazuki spots Rikuo strolling up towards him. Nobody else seems to notice Rikuo strolling towards Tamazuki. Tamazuki scolds his Yōkai for not being able to notice him. As he wonders why no one spots Rikuo, Rikuo greets him and strikes him with his sword, leaving Tamazuki to defend himself with his own sword. Kubinashi notices Rikuo and wonders why the two commanders are fighting each other. Tamazuki now realizes Rikuo's special ability of being invisible out of fear, the same one he inherited from Nurarihyon. Yuki Onna and Inugami both find Rikuo too. Inugami lunges his head towards Rikuo, but Kubinashi ties it up before he could. He struggles to break free of Kubinashi's grasp as Yuki Onna rushes towards Rikuo. Now 7:30pm at night, Yura is enjoying strawberry milk in Kana's room when she suddenly notices Yōkai aura. She looks under Kana's bed to find rice crackers and peanuts. She suspects Kana ate with the mysterious Yōkai together in her room, but Kana denies this. Assuming Kana is in love with him, Yura reiterates that Yōkai are Yōkai and that they are bad. Kana appreciates her advice, but wishes to think freely for herself about him. Yura complies and eats the peanut she found on the floor, then suddenly senses something else. Sensing massive Yōkai aura outside, Yura plans to leave Kana's house to investigate it. Outside, traffic is jammed across the city with Yōkai aura flying over. Shima, practising soccer in a parkette, suddenly drops his ball and detects something happening. Standing on a set of swings nearby, Natsumi detects something as well, but Saori is unconvinced and disappointed for being unable to reach Kana by phone. Sitting on a bench nearby with his laptop, Kiyotsugu claims the chances of seeing Yōkai at night are greater. Suddenly, he finds something on his laptop and Shima rushes over to see what it is. Kiyotsugu is shocked at the outpour of messages flooding his website about Yōkai sightings over Ukiyoe Town. Kiyotsugu closes his laptop and excitingly leads the group out for a Yōkai-sighting tour across Ukiyoe Town. Everyone else, however, is worn out. Tamazuki struggles to defend himself as Rikuo is too powerful. He falls onto the ground, to which, finally, fellow Shikoku Yōkai notice him and run towards Tamazuki for assistance. Rikuo manages to fend them off with his Osore and sword. Tamazuki crawls slightly away from Rikuo and snickers at him. Before knowing what was a about to happen, a subordinate of Tamazuki falls just beside Rikuo with their heads meeting each other in height. Tamazuki introduces this bird Yōkai's power. The bird yōkai leaps in front of Rikuo with feathers flying off her body. Suddenly, Rikuo is blinded. The Shikoku Yōkai proceed to lunge at him, but Rikuo defends himself with an Ōgi Meikyō Shisui Sakura technique in the sky. The flames send an inferno that could be seen by Kejōrō and Kagibari Onna. Yuki Onna also sees this. From behind Rikuo, Tamazuki praises him for his technique but proclaims his end. Tamazuki explains the similarities of Yōkai and Humans to Yin and Yang. As he pulls out his Maō's Hammer, he proclaims that their co-existence is impossible and Rikuo's existence too. Easily, he stabs Rikuo in the stomach. He then tries to convince him to abandon the light and come into the darkness. Pulling the sword out of him, Tamazuki then claims they can rule over the light once he has. Rikuo falls onto the floor, kowtowing in front of Tamazuki, whom asks if he wishes to join the Shikoku Hachijūhakki Yakō. Rikuo refuses, merely claiming the light radiates because of darkness while the darkness is sublime because of the presence of light. Tamazuki accepts his decision and proceeds to deliver a finishing blow on Rikuo. Rikuo is petrified that he will be swallowed by the darkness. Yuki Onna manages to defend Rikuo with her own staff just in time, icing up Tamazuki's sword. As Rikuo can only feel a cold presence, he recalls a moment in his childhood long ago. He recalls playing in a park and everything turning dark around him. Unable to see anything, he suddenly felt a hand with skin white as snow reach out to him. He grabbed the hand and of course, it belonged to Yuki Onna smiling, relieved at having finally found Rikuo. In the present, Yuki Onna brings Rikuo away from Tamazuki as he threatens to kill her. Rikuo refuses her assistance, but trembles. Yuki Onna observes his eyes feeling wrong, but Rikuo commands her to step back. Yuki Onna then scolds Rikuo for trying to act so cool while he nearly got killed. Yuki Onna offers to take Tamazuki on, but Rikuo tells her to stop. Across them, Tamazuki offers Yuki Onna to test her loyalty to Rikuo. For one last time, Rikuo tells Yuki Onna to run, reminding her that she is about to face Tamazuki's subordinate Yosuzume. Yuki Onna is stunned as Yosuzume is already flying right beside Yuki Onna and spreading her feathers around. Yuki Onna tries to cover her left eye as she is shocked as Yosuzume's presence. She falls onto the ground. Yosuzume's feathers had spread out so far that the Yōkai surrounding them, including both Shikoku and Nura Clan Yōkai, have all become blinded. As Yuki Onna tries to crawl up, her right eye is revealed blinded and she experiences a flashback. Continuing Rikuo's flashback of finding Yuki Onna in the dark, she recalls herself being worried about Rikuo coming in contact with Yosuzume. She proceeded to explain to Rikuo that Yosuzume's feathers are able to slip through the tiniest of openings into one's eyes, blinding her victims. As Tamazuki proclaims that Yuki Onna's loyalty is nothing, he walks up to Rikuo from behind while Yosuzume slowly approaches Yuki Onna. Meanwhile, Shōei is still sitting with Kurotabō standing beside him in an alleyway. From behind Kurotabō, Gozumaru and Mezumaru fall from the sky, severely injured. Kurotabō asks Gozumaru what happened to him, but Gozumaru is too weak to explain. He tells Shōei to proceed to Zen with Gozumaru and Mezumaru, whom complies. As Yosuzume proceeds to assault Yuki Onna constantly, Rikuo tells her to run, but Tamazuki approaches him from behind, ready to slay Rikuo once and for all. Suddenly, Rikuo's Osore activates and he disappears in front of Tamazuki's eyes. Tamazuki manages to slash Rikuo in the arm blindly before he escapes to stop his flow of Osore, making himself visible again. As Rikuo feels the pain from Tamazuki's sword, Yuki Onna starts to stand beside Rikuo. Yuki Onna confirms that it is in fact herself standing back to back with Rikuo. Rikuo recalls his command of telling Yuki Onna to run, to which Yuki Onna reaffirms her choice not to. She reminds him that she promised to protect him forever and that she exchanged Sakazuki with him. Smiling, Rikuo finally complies with her and allows her to protect his back. With confidence, Yuki Onna makes a promise to him to destroy Yosuzume's spell of darkness. Tamazuki reminds the two of their blind state and commands Yosuzume to take the two down once and for all. From above, Yosuzume tries to strike Yuki Onna, but it is revealed that her left eye was iced over, completely covered from Yosuzume's feathers. Tamazuki realizes this early and tries to stop Yosuzume from attacking her, but it is too late. Yuki Onna unleashes her Noroi no Fubuki, Fūseikakurei technique, a large blizzard that sends Yosuzume paralyzed in an ice statue. Everyone's sight is fully restored with Kubinashi and Kejōrō feeling delighted. Staring at the ice statue of Yosuzume, Yuki Onna becomes overexcited and tries to tell Rikuo what she did. Rikuo is busy fending himself from Tamazuki, but praises her. With his eyesight restored and his sword pointing at Tamazuki, Rikuo pledges the beginning of Act Two of their battle. Next episode preview Kiyotsugu asks Yuki Onna what she thinks of the Yōkai cards he made. Yuki Onna is amazed at Kiyotsugu having written down the Yōkai's powers and special techniques on the cards. Kiyotsugu plans next to write down their ages, to which Yuki Onna insists that he not. Characters in order of appearance Trivia *In the manga, Zen was not among Rikuo's forces during the battle. Category:Episodes